Upsell opportunities you may be missing within your active entertainment park

How can your venue make more money? Upsell opportunities for your family entertainment center that you may be missing.

Ticket sales are good, your family entertainment center (FEC) is full of visitors on weekends and after school; you are even taking advantage of term time with toddler sessions and play groups. Your work here is done!

Well actually, ticket sales are just the beginning. There is always an upsell opportunity to be had when you get visitors through the door, here are a few.

Opportunities for upselling merchandise

Branded merchandise is always a popular upsell opportunity that you may be missing within your Active Entertainment park. There are so many things to choose from. Here are some of our best sellers:

• Clothing

Branded T-shirts are great sellers since they have an affordable price tag that parents are willing to pay. T-shirts are particularly popular for neon nights seasonal events and parties.

• Accessories

The crucial note to hit with merchandise is value. Parents are more likely to make an impromptu purchase if they consider the item to be of use and therefore good value for money. Branded drinks bottles and bags, such as cinch sacks and tote bags (perfect for kids PE kits) are a must-have.

• Soft toys

Although they don’t fall into the useful category, who can resist a soft toy? An affordable, fun mascot toy is bound to catch the eye of younger children and the parents will find it hard to say no.

Make more money with custom grip socks

Socks are essential for safety and hygiene in trampoline, inflatable and soft play parks. Our grip socks are designed to keep customers safe as they use your facilities. Many centers, such as trampoline parks, only allow the use of their own socks to ensure customer safety. But as we have discussed before, a sock from Samurai is far from just a sock.

• Limited edition socks

Our designers can create some bold, bright, and beautiful socks. Create a sense of rarity with limited-edition socks. You will be surprised at how many customers will pay a little extra for a limited-edition design.

• Personalised for parties

If you hold parties at your FEC why not add an optional personalised sock to your party package? The birthday boy or girl will be thrilled to have their name on theirs and their friends’ socks.

• Neon for glow parties/sessions

Glow parties or sessions are very popular at active entertainment venues. Let your guests glow at these events with custom branded neon socks that Samurai can provide you.

Food and beverage upsell opportunities

One of the biggest upsell opportunities for the active entertainment market is food and beverage. There are a number of ways that you can ensure that you are making the most of your refreshment offer from the type of food that you choose to offer through to reward programmes to encourage additional purchases. After racing around an inflatable course or bouncing on the trampolines all day, you can be sure that your customers will be hungry and thirsty!

• Types of food and drink

When you are savvy about the type of food you offer at your entertainment park, your profit margins will be very healthy. The best type of food and beverage to sell is items that are cheap to purchase and easy to prepare. For example, sandwiches, fries, nuggets and pizza are all FEC staples. Vegetable fingers and fruit are essential as a healthy side to keep parents happy and it’s a super cheap option.

In addition to food, drinks have the potential to bring you some profit. Don’t only stock ready mixed drinks that will be more expensive to buy in, a bottle of cordial will fill several jugs. Parents will be grateful for a big jug of squash as their children work up a thirst in your trampoline park

Another common sight at an active entertainment venue is a slushie machine. Although there is an upfront investment in the machine, it will pay for itself many times over. A sugary slushie treat is saved for days out so parents are willing to pay for the kids to have this as part of the fun experience. Since a slushie is made from a small amount of flavored syrup and ice, the profit will be sweet.

Finally, no family entertainment center is complete without coffee. Good coffee. Investing in a high-quality barista coffee machine is one of the most essential things that you can add to your dining area. A great cup of coffee will be welcomed by parents who are taking advantage of some quiet time while the kids are entertained on the trampolines or in the soft play. And we all know that the going rate for a good coffee is considerably more than the ingredients that go into making it.

• Food deals with entry

Another great way to increase profit and upsell is by offering food deals with entry. Parents upon booking will receive a great price for entry and food: a sandwich, pizza, or something else cost-effective. There will of course be a profit margin for you on this price, however, the upsell opportunities come since the family will be in your cafe. The likelihood is that extra food and drinks will be purchased in addition to the food included in the meal: bags of chips, chocolate bars, bottled and canned drinks, coffees, teas, slushies – the list goes on!

• Reward cards to encourage more purchases

Everyone loves to get a freebie. A loyalty reward is a great way to encourage purchases of drinks, most commonly used for hot drinks – “buy 5 and get your next cup for free”. Of course, this doesn’t need to be exclusively for hot drinks.

• Refillable cups to encourage purchase

Offering a free refill when purchasing a branded cup is the perfect upsell. The price of a cup will be more than a customer would pay for a drink; however, they perceive it to be great value as not only do they get free refills but also a cup to take away and reuse. This is also a great marketing tool for your active entertainment park as customers will use their cups when they are out and about which will, in turn, increase awareness of your brand.

Retail areas to encourage additional spend

Having a dedicated retail area will increase the likelihood of customer purchases. Of course, it is important to stock this area with items that are likely to sell. Knowing your customers and what they will find useful, and ultimately part with their cash for, is an important exercise.

• Placement

Where products are displayed is crucial. The best place to encourage purchases is by the exit. If possible, have a retail area that guests have to walk through to get to the exit. It is here that they are going to be convinced to make a purchase.

Spread the word, increase the likelihood of repeat visitors and boost revenue with parties

Parties are huge for FECs. Whether you have a trampoline park, soft play or inflatable venue, parties are a real money maker. Party packages offer the opportunity to add value with additional items. For example, you can add merchandise to a package or party bags. Many offer a bronze, silver and gold option with optional add-ons so that parents can tailor the party package to their budget and requirements.

We hope we’ve given some helpful insight into upsell opportunities you may be missing within your active entertainment park.

If you’re interested in boosting your revenue and getting your hands on some amazing customized branded merchandise, get in touch now.